Heating of radiators



Feb. 25, 1936. A. c. FREEMAN HEATING 0F RADIATORS Filed Feb. 8, 1934 qE E 4 W11 1 IN N f 07% 6'7 7e29272ar2.

Patented Feb. 25, 1936 r 2,031,882

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATING or aanmroas Arthur C. Freeman, Norfolk, Va. Application February a, 1934, Serial No. 710,365 1 Claim. ('01. 21938) This invention relates to certain new and use- Figure is a cross-sectional view taken on line ful improvements in the heating of radiators. 5-5 of Figure 2.

An object of the invention is to provide a heat- Referring more in detail to the accompanying ing unit for radiators of the general character drawing, the reference numeral ID designates a 5 disclosed in Patent No. 1,913,923, granted to radiator formed of tubular sections I I having the 5 Arthur C. Freeman on June 13, 1933 and embodies upper and lower ends thereof configurated for improvements in the art thereover. assembly and connection by the nipples l2 as The p y bj of the invention is to proshown in Figure 4 and the tie rods 5 as shown in vide a heating unit for radiators wherein the Figure 1. An elbow fitting I3 is attached to the heating unit is directly inserted into the radiator lower end of one end section I I of the radiator for 0 and to be of the desired length to extend through the purpose of charging the same with water and the desired number of nipples connecting the said elbow I2 receives a closure cap I4. sections of the radiator at its lower end. The heater I5 that is herein illustrated as an A further object of the invention is to provide electric resistance element is in the form of a a radiator and heating unit combination of the cylindrical cartridge comprising a casing I6 15 foregoing character wherein the heating unit that adapted to be inserted through the desired number is preferably in the f rm of a ylin rical cartridg of connecting nipples I! for the lower ends of the and arranged centrally of or eccentric to and radiator sections II at the end of the radiator I0 spaced from the nipples connecting the radiator opposite the fitting elbow I3 and said heater I5 is sections whereby the annular spaces between the adapted to be placed in communication with an 20 nipples and heating unit permit the flow of water electric cord conductor I! or the like that is to be from the end of the radiator opposite the mountplaced in communication with a source of potening of the heating unit through the lower portions tial. of said annular spaces to enter" the zones of the The heater I5 has located intermediate the radiator Sections j c the heating unit While ends of its casing I6 an electric heating unit I8 the Spaces at the uppe Sides p m t e re w having a resistance element therein, the inner of hot water and steam. end of the cartridge casing I6 spaced from the It is a further object of the invention to provide heating unit I8 housing a heat resistant packing a heating unit for radiators as described wherein l9 while the opposite end of the cartridge casing 39 pp e ends Of a Cartridge Carrying the heating I6 also receives a heat resistant packing 20, the element are substantially heat insulated to interminals III of the heating unit l8 extending crease the activity of flow of water in the radiator through the packing 20 and exposed at the outer in a direction toward the heating element and end of the heater I5 for attachment to the conreduce the temperature of the heating element at ductor element I1. The outer end of the carits outer end connection with the radiator. tridge casing I6 is enlarged and flanged to pro- 35 With the above and o h O j s i V ew t at vide a threaded section 22 and an abutment will become apparent as the nature of the invenshoulder 23 engaged with the lower end of the tion is better understood, the same consists in the adjacent, radiator section I I as illustrated in novel form, combination and arrangement of Figure 4.

49 parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in As h i Figure 4, th heating it |5 the accompanying drawing and Claimedtends through four sections I I of the radiator III In the drawmgibut it is to be understood that the heating unit Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a radiator may be of a length to extend through one or eqmpped wltfih h.eat1 ng mm m accordance Wlth more sections of the radiator. Also, it will be obthe P served that the heating unit I5 has the cartridge Flgum 2 1S slde elevatmnal 7 the heat casing I6 thereo'f disposed in this showing coni g gggfi g gg gggfi View of the centrically of the nipples I2 and spaced theregure is an from. The radiator I0 may be used as a steam heating unit; 50 Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertica or water heating device and when used as a 50 longitudinal sectional view of the radiator with steam radiator, h wa level in t radiator the heating unit set into the lower ends of several Wil b Substantially Oh the line L Wa 11- sections and showing the annular space between troduced into the lower ends of the radiator secthe connecting nipples for the radiator sections tions II through the fitting elbow I3, the screw and the heating unit; and plug 24 in the end section II carrying the elbow 55 being first removed to permit the escape of air from the radiator sections. It will be observed that a minimum of water in the radiator is subjected to the action of the resistance element 18 of the heating unit, opposite ends of the cartridge casing being substantially heat insulated for purposes herein set forth. The water in the lower ends Ila of the radiator sections II is converted into steam which rises in the sections carrying the lower ends Ila and flows through the upper ends of all the radiator sections ll, steam condensation being precipitated in the radiator sections spaced from the electric resistance element I8 for reception in the lower ends Ilb of the radiator sections spaced from the resistance element l8. The water in the lower ends Nb of the radiator sections is of a temperature considerably lower than the water in the ends Ila of other sections and the cooler water flows through the annular spaces between the connecting nipples and the heating unit to enter the sections Hat. The hot water will flow through the lower portions of the annular spaces between the nipples and heating unit and steam will flow through the upper portions of said spaces and of course, hot water will also flow through the upper portions of said spaces. The radiator is self-contained in that a predetermined quantity of Water confined therein is generated into steam and the steam condensation is returned to th body of water for reuse.

To use the radiator as a hot water heater, it is only necessary to increase the supply of water thereto and by connecting the radiator III to a water supply system by means of the screw plug 24 and fitting 25, the radiator in addition to providing room heat may be used as a hot water supply heater. The radiator ID is of a portable character and is to be constructed of a weight permitting ready shifting movements thereof to desired locations and is capable of wide and various uses.

It is to be observed that the cartridge form of the heater provides a hot chamber for heating purposes and a cold chamber to form a reservoir for supplying water to be heated. Also, the cartridge acts as a choke or baflie to restrain the flow of water directly through the lower nipples and thus tends to impede backward current flow. Further, the ends of the cartridge may contain any form of material tending to resist or impede the passage of heat or may even be filled with metal since the outer ends of such metal fillings will naturally be cooler than the parts adjacent the heater coil.

In explanation of operation of heater unit, the.

cartridge is so designed that when heating unit or cartridge is placed in radiator, that portion of radiator which encompasses or includes the actual heating element I8 is a hot portion and that part of radiator outside of the heating unit I8 is a colder portion relatively. As the process of heating continues, the evaporated water in hot section goes upward as steam or as warmer water in circulation and the water which has been evaporated or risen upward by warm current is replaced in the hot chamber by the water from the colder section and this continues as the radiator as a whole gains temperature until eventually the whole radiator establishes a nearly constant uniform temperature balance. curve of temperature flattens out to a level of constant maximum and remains thus flat, meaning that it is functioning with a balance of temperature, showing that the point has been reached when the radiator gives to the surrounding air its constant output of heat from the constant intake of heat from the current supplied to the radiator by the heat element. The radiator is then operating to give off the maximum heat, measured in B. t. u.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

In a heater of the character described, a radiator having a plurality of tubular sections connected by ring-like nipples, an electric heater comprising a cylindrical cartridge inserted directly in one end of the lower end of the radiator and disposed to extend through and be laterally spaced from the nipples at least at one side of the cartridge, a heating unit within the cartridge substantially midway the ends thereof and substantially one third the length of the cartridge, the heating unit contacting the wall of the cartridge and a heat resistant packing at the inner end of the cartridge whereby water in the lower ends of the sections spaced from the cartridge will flow through the spaces between the nipples and inner end of the cartridge towards the central portion of the cartridge carrying the resistance means.

ARTHUR C. FREEMAN.

The heat 

